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Friday, 13 April 2007

Face to face with a tiger !

Stories from jungle are always a natural interest and this one is a real life adventure supporting the saying that even the beasts don’t turn violent or behave otherwise unless harmed or provoked. I was in my pre teens unable to apply a full leg pedal while bicycling on trenchantly deep tracks meant for bullock carts. I was at my maternal uncle’s village on India-Nepal border. He was highly respected a man commanding so much of respect and had a business enterprise dealing with big grain merchants from Nepal. This business centre was around 4 KM away from the village and most of it was just a dense forest. Boys were not allowed to move alone, more so on a bicycle –if some one was allowed as an exception, ofcourse with necessary security precautions, it was taken tobe a big priviledge for him. One such favour was at a stage bestowed on me and my joy knew no bounds –my bicycle moving through the forest I was more happy than terrified with a zooming silence at times pierced by chirping birds, howling monkeys and roaring big cats. I was feeling so chivalrous within myself but it was so shortlived. I noticed an animal figure with some spots here and there on the body reclining on a patch of grass behind the trees by the side of the road. I had no chance of seeing it earlier but my instincts alarmed me and I was terribly frightened on the sight. Shaking and shivering with the fear of Unknown, I felt like my breathing stopped and I had to exert for gasping it. The animal was obviously the one not to tolerate any intruder nearby –man or animal. The animal gotup, moved with a royal gait aiming his piercing gaze at me making me feel that I am nearly devoured. It was hardly a distance of not more than a yard and half between him and me and I felt I was collapsing. He halted for a moment slightly lowering his head and with a small pause moved forward to the other side of the road disappearing in the bushes across a cluster of treas unhindered, undisturbed. On reaching the shop, my elder brother (maternal Uncle’s son) was terribly amazed seeing me in my haggard looks raising a volley of questions and when I could waveringly narrate to him the entire episode he cried saying it was nothing but a Tiger and it’s only a miracle that you are safe. He distributed sweet to celebrate my safe landing. The elders talked that but for the reason that the tiger must have been in a relaxing posture after prey followed by sumptuous meals, the boy returning unhurt would have been just out of question. They also talked that unlike human beings, tigers normally don’t attack persons causing no harm.